Adam Ruck recommends small Alpine villages for a family holiday.

Skiing can be great fun, as long as everyone is kept busy all day. What you want is happy children falling asleep exhausted at the end of the day, with even
bolshy teenagers united with you in pursuit of the parallel turn.

The problem is that traditional family resorts have been rejected in favour of the biggest and highest, which aren't always the most pleasant places to stay. It's time to look again at the delights of small villages and their benefits: more relaxing in high season, lower prices, shorter queues, easier to meet up for lunch and provision for the whole family.

Austria
Obergurgl. One of few Austrian resorts high enough to offer reliable snow and
yet retaining some village charm, Obergurgl is a family favourite of long standing, with a cluster of good, albeit expensive, four-star hotels and simpler B&Bs. The ski area may not be particularly challenging, but many happy
families return year after year for a reliable combination of ski and riotous
après-ski fun. Holidays from Inghams.

Oberlech. High above fashionable Lech, a snowy hamlet of expensive hotels
overlooks a sunny nursery slope - paradise for well-heeled ski families. The
cable car between Ober- and Lech runs through the evening and serves an
excellent toboggan run. Hotels Montana, Berg and Goldener Berg are all
excellent. Book direct or via Made to Measure (www.mtmhols.co.uk) and Elegant Resorts (www.elegantresorts.co.uk).

Gargellen. A small but nicely varied ski area; reliable snow; no lift queues ever; and one of the best family hotels in the Alps. Regulars at the Madrisa think of Gargellen as their private ski resort, jealously guard their secret and book next year's holiday before they leave. Rooms and suites in the old part of the hotel are good value and ideal for families. www.madrisahotel.com

Switzerland
Murren. The cradle of British skiing is a small village, car-free and spectacularly perched opposite the Eiger. Its snowy streets are ideal for pram-pushing grandparents, so long as they steer clear of the cliff edge. Young beginners may find the going tough but once they master the drag-lift, junior Murrenites learn fast. The resort is the home of a British ski-racing club, Kandahar, where whizkids who outgrow family skiing can move on to serious race training, with No Parents Required. The Eiger is a splendid traditional family hotel, sited for fitness at the opposite end of the resort from the ski lifts. Holidays from Inghams, Swiss Travel.

Grimentz. A showpiece old chalet village between Zermatt and Verbier, with high skiing for all standards and a good nursery slope at mid mountain, accessible by gondola. Grimentz can be a cold place to ski in midwinter, but delivers the goods in the Easter holidays. Accommodation is in simple hotels or apartments. Book through local agencies: www.anniviers.ch

France
Vaujany. A little old village with a big new cable car is an inviting formula in high season, and Vaujany has the added attraction of uncrowded back-door access to the immense ski area of Alpe d'Huez. Catered chalets, self-catering and simple hotel holidays from Ski Peak (www.skipeak.com)
Plan Peisey/Vallandry. A cable-car link between the ski areas of La Plagne and Les Arcs has put these satellite outposts of Les Arcs at the heart of the new Paradiski area, perfectly placed for exploring both halves. Chalet holidays from Esprit in Plan Peisey; Club Med at Vallandry.

Courchevel 1650. Le Ski (www.leski.com) is the specialist chalet operator in this ugly but user-friendly satellite of glamorous Courchevel. Explore the immense Quatre Vallées ski area (shared with Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens) on a sensible family budget, and by-pass the morning queues at La Croisette. The local slopes are reassuringly gentle and 1650's lifts offer the least congested route to Meribel.

Italy
La Thuile. This resort on the Italian side of the Little St Bernard pass lacks the village charm of nearby Courmayeur but its ski area (linked to the French resort of La Rosière) is less crowded. The Planibel apartments are well placed for skiing, with swimming pool and entertainments for children. As always, Italy guarantees a cheerful atmosphere and cheap pasta lunches. Holidays from Thomson.

Sauze d'Oulx. A welcoming mountain refugio might be the perfect family bolthole, and Sauze has two of the best, tucked away in the woods high above the evening tumult and morning lift queues. Ciao Pais is cosy, cheap and cheerful; Il Capricorno a haven of greater refinement, still affordable at twice the price. Travel to Oulx by train; hang on to your driver for the transfer to the refuge by snowmobile, straight up the piste at eye-watering speed. Further information: www.ciaopais.it; www.chaletilcapricorno.it

Doing it in style
Many chalet operators offer childcare and junior ski school. Powder Byrne does it in comfortable hotels in top resorts such as Zermatt and Grindelwald. Smiling nannies keep the children fed and entertained until bedtime.Racer Martin Bell runs high-octane camps for teenagers. Powder Byrne have ski guides to escort parents and find the best mountain restaurants at a more sedate pace. The price is high but the service is as good as it gets. www.powderbyrne.com

At the increasingly well-served luxury end of the chalet market, properties may have many of the facilities of a big hotel - massage room, cinema, playstation, internet, swimming pool. Getting children out in the morning can be difficult!

If all this is still not exciting enough think of further afield.

Norway
Lift queues are unheard of, everyone speaks English, nursery slopes are accessorised with trolls and warming huts for hot chocolate breaks, and no one minds if children behave badly in a restaurant. They even have play carriages on the train from Oslo. The Bardola and Doctor Holms hotels in Geilo are excellent for a first ski holiday. Holidays from Inntravel or Inghams.

Eastern Europe
Bansko (Bulgaria) has efficient lifts, good ski terrain, decent hotels and an old town with charm, character and entertainment value.

Holidays from Thomson

America
The Rockies are an attractive alternative to Alpine crowds at half-term. Condos are vast, children love the junk food, ski schools prioritise junior fun before discipline, and America has the most exciting terrain parks (snow playgrounds with jumps and obstacles for snowboarders and skiers).

Jackson Hole is the yeehah cowboy resort, with shops full of cowboy boots and ten gallon hats. The skiing has excellent junior ski school (Kids Ranch).

Snowmass Close to Aspen, and purpose-built for families, with affordable condos. Terrain park, junior ski school programmes, kiddy-friendly fun pistes and slalom courses are all brilliant, Aspen Alps is a good self-catering base. www.aspenalps.com. Jackson Hole, Snowmass and Aspen holidays from Ski Independence. www.ski-i.com

Canada
Instead of Whistler (too big) or Banff (too far from any ski slopes), try Panorama, a modern resort with a tall ski area and entry-level heli-skiing on site. Holidays from Inghams. www.inghams.co.uk